Convertible automobile body



W. L; KISSEL AND J. F. WERNER.

CONVERTIBLE AUTOMOBILE BODY.

APPLICATION man. my 21. I917- 1,438,382. 7 Patented Dec..12, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

v en's W. L. 'KISSEL AND J. F. WERNER.

CONVERTIBLE AUTOMOBILE BODY. APPLICATION FILEDJJJLY 21. 1917.

1,438,382. Patented Dec. 12, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

w.' L. KISSEL AND 1. F. WERNER.

CONVERTIB'LE AUTOMOBILE 'BOD Y. APPLICATION man JULY 21. 19:7.

Patented Dec. 12, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

NOPJS T0 KISSEL IvIOTO-Q TROBM'EIOH VVISCONSIIZ.

I KZSSEL AND SIGHT FREDERICK HE CAB COZEPANY, Q1:

AFTER, DIE T3 03 5, VJISCGNSXN,

HA 'W'ISCDNSIN, A; CD3- 'Apclication filed 31113721.,

To all 20/ 10772 it'may concern Be it known that we, WVILLI'AM'L. IKISSEL and Jenn FnnnnnicnlVnnnnn citizens of the JQltGCl States, residing at .l-lart'tord, 1n

the county of ll ashington andState of l/Vis consin, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Convertible Automobile Bodies, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an automobile .body which shall be readily convertible from open to closed condition and vice versa, gance, rigidity or strength.

This object has been attainedby providing a body consisting 0:? a lower section corresponding to the usual touring, roadster or runabout body, and a top sect ion saidsections being detachably but rigidly united by simple concealed fastening-gs. The top section include: an upper door-section which isdev connected to a lower door-section part of the lower body section. The icn also comprise a built-in windshie I. which takes the place of a detachable wind-shiel d furnished for summer use.

v iteninps are provided on the lower 7 1 section tor the convenient attachment of a folding top, said top being readily detachable when the topbody section is to be a said fastenlngs being inv and ease of opera ter mentioned. mnying drawings, Figure 1.

tion

a perspecti' view or" an automobile enilrO 'v'l the -.-atures of our 1nvecition the e t action being siown in place. is a .-.r p ive view of the car, the top section been removed and the folding; top and summer wind-shield substituted. Fig. 3 is a diagrarnn'i no plan view of the lower body t is. lis sectional view illustrating one of the several fastenings em- 4. Fig. 6 is a sectional view q v special fastening employed in the forward portion o't'the top section to the lower body section Fig. 7 is a section on dotted lined-7 of 6. Fig. 8 a' plan view show J a bo -rest hr? et .l. to the lower body-section. Fig. '9 is without the sacrifice of ele-.

1917. Serial No. 182,027.

a sectional View showing molding used to cover the upper edge of the lower body section'wh'en the top section is not in use. Fig. 10 is a tragmental inside view illustrating a bracket 'for the attachment of the summer folding top, "the top body section being shown in place in this view. big. 11 is a sectional view of said bracket showing the pivot for the folding top, the top body section having been removed. Fig. 12 is a fragme-ntal inside View showing the means for establishin electrical connection between loc iac. 22 and 23 are detail views of one form of binge employed for the door.

24 is a detail view of the lowermost hinge of the door. F gs. 25and 26 are views tion. 7 p

ll' 'e have selected a car of the sedan type to illustrate theuinvention. although it will be understood that the invention may be embodied in motor carriaqe bodies of many other types. The body comprises a lower sectionl and a top section 2 having at their r and lower e s respe tively, rails exlonoitu'din y around th sections and-'acap'te'd .o ii topgeth'er edge to edge with the outer surfaces the upright walls of the sections lying substantially flush. The lower section. 'vbic'h may be of any prefenced contorm ion; forms touri n; car body when the i top'section is removed. The top section 2 is secured in place by fastenings of suitable characters as, for example, the fastening '0 shown in 4; a d 5. (l-aid fastening comprises a metallic block 3 secured in recess 4 in the inner side of the upper rails-E the lower body section 1,

said block beinn lined in pla'e 1116211'1S -Of I The block 9 as in its upperslde a'downwardly-taper- 1.. socket 6 and a s rew t irea'ded opening a suitable number of screws '5.

illustrating the' lock' for the up per door-sec continued in an aperture 12 extending through the dowel 10. A cap-screw 13 having a washer 1 1 underneath its head is 1nserted into the holes 11 and 12 and screwed into the opening; T, said screw serving to force the dowel 10 intowedging engagement with the socket 6. The lower outer edge of the top section 2 has a depending lip which, when the dowels are drawn into the sockets in the manner described, is urged tightly into sealing engagementwith the lower section 1 at its upper outer edge to serve as a weather-proofing while it, at the same time, resembles an ornamental bead extending continuously around the body covering the joint between the sections.

The number and relative location of the i astenings a vary with the size and form of the body. In the present instance, they are.

' edge of thelower door-section as PIOVlQlQCl located as indicated in Fig. 3.

' In securing the front end of the top sec-. }tion 2 to. the lower body section 1, we. may avail ourselves or" the holes 15 provided in the lower body section to receive the ordinary tastenings of the summer wind-shield .16. A plate 1'4" is secured w1th1n a recess 18 in the lower edge of the top section 2, sa d plate having a threaded opening19 to re ceive a screw 20 inserted upwardly through the opening 15. Inasmuch as the opening 15 is of considerably larger diameter than the screw, there'is inserted in the lower end of said opening a bushing 21 having a flange 22 that underlies the rail or frame member in which the hole 15 is formed.-

Any suitable means may be employed to insure against squealzing. Hereinthere interposed between the lower body section land the top section 2 a strip 23 of suit-- able material, as for example, textile material coated or saturated with isuitable invention is provided with one door at each side of the body, said door comprising a lower section 25 and an upper section 26.

Any suitable type of hinges may be emv ployed to support the door. in the present instance the upper door-section is mounted plate 38.

on hinges 27 such as the one illustrated in Figs. 2.1 22 and Said hinge comprises a pocket 28 mounted in a recess in the door frame, said pocket being secured in place by means of screws passing through lugs 29 on the pocket. Hinged within the pocket at 30 is a member 31 adapted to be secured to the door by means of screwspassing through holes 32.. When the door is closed the hinge is invisible. Owing to the curvature of the lower portion of the body, it is necessary to use a different type of hinge for the lower end of the door in order that the pivots of all of the hinges shall be in alinement.

Herein is shown a hinge 33 comprising two leaves 84 connected to the door frame and the lower door section by means of screws passing'through thescrew holes 35, said leaves being connected by means or a re movable pin 36; The leaves 10 are 011? such length thatthe pin 36 is in alinement with the pivots 30 of the hinges 27.

Any suitable means may be employed :tor detachably uniting the door-sect1ons25 and 26. -EIBI8111 we have shown the upper with recesses 37 above which are secured plates 38 each having a keyholeslot39.' To

The u 31381 surface of the luv 4-1 is sli 'htlv A 15 t) r inclined so as to cause the two sections of the door to be drawn-tightly together with a wedgin'g action when the door-sections are moved with relation to each other in the direction to force the lug 44L beneath the A strip of non-squeak material 23 is attached to the lower edge of theupper door-sectio11,,said strip being drawn into 'close contact with the upper edge of the lower door-section through the wedging' action of the lug 1 1.v

,The door is preferably provided with a sash 45 (Fig. 15). In the side members of theupper door-section are formed ways i6 to contain the vertical edges of the sash. Said sash is adapted to stand upon a ledge l? on the upper doorsection.. In the lower door-section is a pocket 48 into which the sash may be lowered. t9 is'a strapsccured tothe lower end of the sash for moving the sash oit the ledge 47 and for raising and I lowering the sash.

'Any preferred means may be employed to lassee lock has a cam surface 53 thereon against which rests the lower end oi a rod e l. This rod extends through a guide on the casing of the lock and through agro'ove 56 in the upperv door section. The upper end 01' said rod is attached to a slide 5'7 (Fig. 25) carried by the upper door-section,said slide having a projection 58 adapted to lie at one side of 'a keeper 59 secured to the door frame. The adjacent ends of theprojection 58 and the keeper 59 are rounded at one side to cause the projection 58 to be forced upwardly as the door is closed. As soon as the projection 58 has passed the keeper a coiled spring 60 moves the slide 57 "downwardly to place the projection 58behind the keeper 59, as shown in Figs. 25 and 26.

Means is provided on the lower body sec tion l for the attachment thereto of a folding top 61 (Fig. 2). This means comprises a bracket 62 (Figs. and 11) permanently secured to the lower body section lupon the inner side thereot. Said bracket comprises a lug 63 projecting above the lower body section, said lug having an opening 6% to receive a stud 65 for the attachment of the bows of the folding top. The stud 65 is secured in place by means of a nut 66. lVhen the top body section 2 is to be mounted upon the lower body section the stud 65 is removed. The top body section 2 has a recess 6? to contain the lug 63.

Brackets 6S ig. 8) which maybe identical in construction with the brackets 62 are provided to support the brackets 69 on which the bow-rests (not shown) are mounted. The brackets '69 are detachably secured to the lugs 70 of the brackets 68 by means of nuts 71.

In order to give the upperedge of the lower body-section 1 a finished appearance when the top body section '2 is removed, we provide a molding 72 (Fig. 9) of suitable character, said molding being applied to the entire upper edge of the lower body section, including the door sections 25. The molding is made in sections of convenient length. The molding herein shown is formed 0t sheet-metal and comprises two flanges '78 (Fig. 9) adapted to rest upon the upper edge of the lower body section and a rounded portion 74:. The molding maybe secured in place in any suitable manner, as, for example, by means of screws 75,the heads of which lie in countersunk openings in the molding.

Any suitable fasteners may be employed for the attachment of the curtains and the rollable portions of the folding top. We have herein shown a known form of fastening stud 7 6 (Figs. 3 and 9), said studs being screwed into the molding 7 2. It will be seen that when the molding is removed preparatory to installing the top section 2,.the studs 65 76 also are removed so that there are no sumthe wiring for such lamps, 7 8 being a switch.

The wires 7'? areprovide'd with terminals in the tor-mot plates 79 such as shown'ln Fig. 13, these terminals being fixed upon the lower edge of the top body section 2. The wires 80 carried by the lower body section 1 have terminals 81 lg. 1%) each comprising a springpressed contact 82 located at the upper edge of the lower body section and adapted to bear against a contact plate 79' o-n'the top section. Thus it will be seen that when the top body section-is secured in place, electrical connection is automatically established between the wiringsystems of the two bodysections.

In Fig. 1, 83 denotes a built-in-wind-shield which closes the front end of the top section 2..

Assuming that the top body section 2v is inplace, as illustrated in Fig. 1, and it is desired to convert the car into an open touring car, the operation is as follows: The screws that. secure the'hinge members 28 (Fig. 21) to the top 2 are removed and the hinge pin 36 is withdrawn. The door may now be lifted out of place. The upper doorsection is then slid with relation to the lower door-section (toward the right, as viewed in Fig. 20) until the lugs 44 are out from under the plates 38. This may be done without bendingthe rod 54:, as the groove 56 in which said rod extends is wide enough to allow for the requisite relative movement between the door-section's. tions may then be separated, the heads 43 moving out through the key-hole slots 39. The lower door-section may now be mounted upon thebody, or, it desired, thismay be. done after the top section 2 has been re moved. The screws 13 and 20' and the bushings 22 arethen withdrawn, when the top section 2 may be lifted off the car. The summer wind-shield 16 may then be secured in place, the studs secured to the lugs 63, the bow-rest brackets 69 attached to the lugs 70, the folding top -61connected to the studs 65, and the molding 72 attached to the upper edge of thelower body section, including the door section 25.

Thecar is prepared for winter use by a reversal of the order of operations just described. 1

The interior of the body sections may be lined with leather or any other desired material to enhance the appearance ofthe car and to conceal the screws 13 and the brackets 62 and 68, flaps being provided in the lining to give access to said screws .13. d

It will be seen that the construction herein disclosed produces convertibility without The door-secailecting the beauty, rigidity, noiselessness and convenience oi the car, and thatthere are no'exposed tastenings or unsightly structural features at the oining line.

We claim our invention; 1. An automobile body. coinprlsing lower or main section having at its upper edge an inside rail extending longitudinally around the bed an u oer or too section having its lower outer edge defined by a slight depending lip and having at its lower inner ecge a rail adapted to abut through out its length against the first-mentioned rail with the outer surfaces ofthe upright walls of the sections disposed substantially ilush with respect to each other with the lip covering the joint between the sections on I cause forcing together of said inter-fitting dowel parts and thereby a tight sealing engagement of said lip on said upper section against the outside of said lower section, said fastening means including bolts or the like occupying upright positions between the inner and outerside faces of said abut ting rails whereby the upper section may be ,lirrnly secured to the lower section with the bolts or the like concealed from view.

2. An automobile having a lower body section, atop sect-ion means for detachably securing said sections together, a door comprising a section hinged to the lower body section and a section hinged to the top section, a projection on one door section, a plate on the other door section havingan elongated opening to receive said projection, the projection having a lug adapted to underlie the plate at one end of said opening and having a wedging engagement therewith to tightly secure the doorv sections together.

3. An automobile having, in combination,

a body comprising a lower section and top section arranged to fit together edge to edge and each having a hinged door section, devices for detachably securing said body sections together, and means detachably se curing said door sections together including interiitting elements on the abutting edges of said sections adapted to be'drawn together or released 'by' a movement of one such clamping being arranged to section laterally relative to the other a short distance, said sections being normally held against relativelateral movement by their hinged connections to the body sections.

l. An automobile having, in combination,

a body comprising a lower section and a top" section arranged to fit together edge to edge and each having a hinged door section, devices for detachably securing the sections and their doors together, the devices for securing the door sections being held against detachment by their hinge connections with the body sections. i

5. In an automobile body, the combination of a lower section and a top section, said lower section comprising a wooden rail member upon the inner side at the upper edge thereof, a metallic plate member embedded 1n and secured to the upper edge oi said rail member so as to be flush therewith,

' socket in the first plate member to cause a drawing in oi? "aid lip into tight Weatheroroohng engagement with the outside of said lower section, said second rail member having a vertical, aperture therethrough, and a bolt or the like extending through sald aperture and engaging n the aperture in saidso'clret whereby to clamp the two rail members and thereby the upper and'lower sections of the body together with the joint therebetween defined but covered and sealed on the outside by said lip. j 6. An automobile having a body consist ing or a lower section and a top section, op posed electric wire terminals 011 the adjacent portions of said sections, the terminals on the upper sections beingyieldable pins and the terminals on the lower sectionsbeing stationary plates, and means for securing said sections together with the pins abutting the plates,whereby to automatically establish electrical connection between the lower and the upper sections.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

, l VILLIAM L. KISSEL.

JOHN FREDERICK lVERNER. 

